Unlikely
by Dewey Decimatrix 822
Summary: Elliot has just finished Hogwarts, her Muggle parents insisting that she attend university. After studying magic for years, being a Prefect, and Head Girl, Elliot is worried to dive back into her Muggle life with limited magic. She spends most of her summer before university in Diagon Alley, where she spends some time with an unlikely friend.


_A/N: So this is one of my few forays into Harry Potter fanfiction, and I haven't done any in quite a while. This was one of those stories that I started and couldn't really stop writing. I hope you all like it, I hope it's not crap, but yeah. Enjoy xx_

Elliot was dying of heat. She sat quietly in the blistering heat outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, a small ice cream quickly melting beside her large textbook. She had reading to complete before the beginning of her new term. Though she had just finished her education at Hogwarts, her parents had pushed for a Muggle education as well, leaving her to look forward to another four years of schooling before she could do something else with her time. Though she enjoyed school, she had longed to start a career that made her feel fulfilled.

In the overwhelming heat, it didn't take long for her to pack up her new textbooks and take a walk along the cobbled street of the hidden alley. To many of her new university classmates, where the young woman found herself would seem strange and out of a fantasy novel, but to her it was the most at home she had ever been.

Passing Flourish & Blotts and Gringotts was nothing more than another Saturday for the recently graduated witch. She had spent the last month staying at the Leaky Cauldron, immersing herself in the world she would have to leave when she went to university. There was a small wizarding community in Oxford, but there was nothing like being in Diagon Alley.

She readjusted the messenger bag on her shoulder, considering whether or not she felt like charming it to be feather light. Her wand was strapped to her right thigh for the time being. She was enjoying being out as a witch, despite her almost exclusively Muggle attire. She stopped outside the newest shop in the alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and paused for a few moments. It was still bustling with activity, as it had been since she had arrived a few weeks before, but it seemed like maybe she could at least get in the door.

The shop was tight, almost claustrophobic, with each shelf filled to the brim with gags. She could see a counter in the center of it all, and a staircase that led up what must be five or six stories. The catwalk like walkways hugged close to the shelves lining the wall. It was impressive, she had to admit, even by Diagon Alley's standards. Cheerful young witches and wizards exclaimed at cool tricks or small critters they found. Elliot must have looked so lost in comparison. She had never been one for tricks and gags, she spent most of her time studying instead.

"Can I help you find something?" a cheerful voice asked from behind her. She whipped around, coming close to bumping into the lanky figure. He had short, messy, copper hair and was dressed in a brown suit with alternating orange and yellow pinstripes.

She recognized him. He was one of the Weasley twins who had fled school close to the end of term. She stood stunned into silence. She knew they had left school, but didn't know that they had already set themselves up in Diagon Alley, apparently very well. "I, uh, I'm just browsing."

His grin didn't falter. She remembered the pair always grinning. "Well, if you need anything, I'm George. Holler for me," he said before he disappeared behind a stack of sweets that Elliot was sure would do terrible things. She didn't look around long before she found her was back to the exit.

She took a moment to look back, thinking about the charming grin from the red-headed young man, before she decided to walk back to the pub.

In the days that followed, while she spent much of her time wandering the old buildings. She had collected all of her textbooks for her university experience, which she was both excited for and loathing. Her parents had insisted on both a magical and non-magical education, so university was her next step instead of moving to a magical career. It was interesting enough, especially considering her major of creative writing, but being cut off from the world she had become so engrossed in since her acceptance letter made her stomach flip. A few days into her stay, she received an owl from one of her classmates, telling all about her new job starting at the Ministry of Magic. It made Elliot think of all the things she could be doing to further her career instead.

Elliot found herself standing outside the familiar shop once again, her eyes lingering on the windows in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the young man she had spoken to the day before. She thought about going in, but it was such a new shop with such appeal to students that it was always bustling. It took her quite a few days to muster the courage to face the crowds to go back into the small shop.

She walked in, enjoying the surprisingly cool shop. There was a wave of cacophony that assaulted her ears from the young shoppers. Instead of just stopping at the ground floor, Elliot took the stairs up to the upper levels. She found quite a few interesting products, though they were all things that she didn't think she would ever find a use for.

"I was hoping you might come back," a familiar voice said, a smile evident in the voice. Elliot turned to see the grinning face of the twin she assumed was George. "Are you looking for a prank? Something to mess with some classmates?"

"No, I'm just looking. I actually just graduated from Hogwarts," she replied. She touched a box on the shelf, pretending to be intrigued by what it waas. _Fever Fudge_.

"Merlin's beard, I knew you looked familiar! You were the Head Girl, weren't you?" Elliot nodded. "I knew I recognized you! Oi, Fred!"

An identical young man seemed to appear from nowhere next to George, a matching grin on his face. "Yes George?"

"Do you remember our Head Girl? The one we had to-"

"Run from in the middle of the night right before Christmas," Fred finished. "Of course I do." He held out a surprisingly cordial hand to Elliot. "It's nice to see you again, and not have to run away." He gave a wink to her as she shook his hand.

"It looks like you're doing well, despite all the running," she replied.

"We do appreciate the practice, though."

"Yeah, if we didn't practice running from you, we would have been caught by someone else loads of time, right Fred?"

"Absolutely, George."

Elliot wasn't sure how to deal with the two infectiously happy twins before her. Fred didn't hang around long, spotting what she assumed was another customer looking for help. That left Elliot and George on the empty catwalk that had to be at least three stories up from the ground floor. She shifted slightly from foot to foot, though did her best to make it small, trying not to telegraph her discomfort.

"So…" George began, not having lost his cheerful disposition despite the silence between them. "Now that you've graduated, what are you going to do?"

"Muggle university, actually," she said. "Dumbledore helped me with my transcripts so it looks like I went to Muggle school and I got accepted into Oxford. My parents insisted." Elliot realized that she had rambled.

"Really?" His eyes shone with interest. "My dad loves all things Muggle. You'll have to tell me all about it if you come back next summer."

"I will," Elliot replied with a smile gracing her lips. "I'm, uh, I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the next week or so, until school starts. I don't know if you'd want to, uh, meet me for a drink after you close one day. I could tell you about some of the Muggle stuff, since my parents are Muggles, y'know, so you could go back and tell your dad, or I-"

"I would love to," he said, without hesitation. Elliot felt her breathing calm, her ranting thankfully cut short by George.

"Excellent," she said with a smile. "Then I will see you…"

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

Elliot swiftly moved down the stairs and left the shop, her breath catching as soon as she reached the street despite the unbelievable heat.

Elliot returned to her room, swiftly going through her clothing to find something that she thought might be suitable for a meeting with someone who was not just a study partner. She had spent most of her time at Hogwarts focused on schooling, her duties as a Prefect and subsequently Head Girl, so she was not used to dealing with people she might want to spend time with without an academic reason. She hadn't spent much time outside her classes, the library, and the Ravenclaw common room unless it was specified for her other duties. Panic set in quickly as she looked at both Muggle clothes and some robes she had picked up for her time in Diagon Alley.

She finally settled on tights, a black skirt, a white t-shirt, and black boots. Her mother and father had insisted they go to their local movie theater to see _The Craft_ when it hit a few months late, as it always was being in a small town. She hadn't loved the movies depiction of magic users, but she did appreciate the style. Her small screech owl, who she had named Winifred, or Winnie for short after another witchcraft movie her parents had insisted on watching with her, gave a small screech from her cage. Elliot took a moment to feed and water her. "You can go out tomorrow, I promise," she told the animal. It nipped affectionately at her finger before tucking its head beneath its wing.

She put on a small amount of makeup, stabbing her eye with the dark black eyeliner pencil painfully, before she checked the mirror once and went down to the pub.

It was populated, but almost no one sat at the bar proper. There were more people sitting at tables and enjoying stories punctuated by riotous laughter. Elliot felt rather alone at that moment, realizing how much and how little she shared with those around her. Her wand was tucked into a harness on her thigh, where she kept it most often for easy access, but even touching it didn't give her as much comfort as she had hoped. She wanted to feel anchored to this part of her as much as she could, but standing alone she felt like an abandoned ship afloat at sea.

George walked through the alley entrance, his thousand watt smile already in place before he even spotted her. He stopped to shake hands and share laughs with some of the patrons, but still made his way quickly towards her. She twisted her hands together as she waited, taking her lip between her teeth in a nervous gesture. "Good evening," he said with an exaggerated flourish, taking her hand and giving it a goofy kiss. "Shall we find a table?"

She flushed slightly and nodded. They found a small two person table near the fireplace in a blissfully quiet part of the pub. After leaving and returning with drink, George began to ask probing questions about Elliot's life outside the wizarding world. She answered questions about movies, though he seemed unimpressed and, compared to what the wizarding newspapers put out, she wasn't surprised. She did launch into some stories about Muggle sports, which he deemed 'absolutely fascinating' followed by 'how do they do that without flying?'

They sat there for hours, finally diverging from simply Muggle topics into his entire family, a rather large one compared to hers, and the decision that he and Fred had made to strike it out on their own without finishing school. It seemed like an insane decision to her, but her life had focused on academics for as long as she could remember.

"You are a joy to talk to," he said sincerely, his face open and kind. "Can we do this again before you leave?"

"Absolutely."

"Come by the shop tomorrow, we'll set up a time." With a less grandiose kiss to her hand, one that left her stunned, he bid her good night. She was left to stare after him even after he had long disappeared back to his shop. The pub had emptied out, most patrons having returned home or to their rooms for the evening. She followed suit, finding her own room rather lonely, even with Winnie to keep her company, she felt alone. In comparison to the bright joy that was having George Weasley's attention aimed directly at her, being surrounded by people would feel lonely. She gave Winnie an affectionate pet and a treat before she moved to her trunk. She changed into pajamas and climbed under the covers before drifting off to sleep.


End file.
